elephant

It's elephant appreciation day, and we've got a huge collection of pictures, memes, videos, and everything in between to celebrate our favorite gentle giant. They may be big, powerful, and really intimidating in the wild, but in pictures, they are unbelievably cute. And they makes for some really funny memes too. 

It's known that elephants never forget, so we must make sure to not forget them too. They are unique creatures in many ways. One cute fact about them is that, though their trunks look huge and may make us think that they'd be somewhat clumsy performing tasks that require a gentler hand, at the end of their trunks, they have a finger-like small appendage that allows them to pick up things as delicate as grass. Cool, right? So, get involved and use this special all-elephant day to learn about them and how to help them. And may you have an elephantastic day!

Every week, we bring you a new collection of animal pictures that are simply too incredible to describe in anything less than 1000 words. Some pictures are just like that, the stories behind them are too vast and complex. And many times, even though we may not know the story, it takes all but one glimpse to know that it's there. Something must have led to this special moment in time being caught, either something hilarious, adorable, or shocking. 

So, look at these incredible photos and let your imagination take over. Who knows? Maybe you'll see one that will inspire you and have you wanting to make something incredible of your own.

Comin' at you hot with some funny animal memes! 

The start of the week, so everyone needs a little pick me up. Some giraffes, some fishes, and a whole bunch of dank doggo memes to hopefully make your week a little easier to get through. So, get 'em now, and if you let one breathy laugh out through your nose, then we have been successful! And if laughing is not what you're going for, here are some adorable and wholesome otter memes to get you through the day.

Kaavan, the elephant, had been living at a zoo in Pakistani, the capital of Islamabad, for more than 35 years. 

Sadly, Kaavan lost his partner in 2012 and has since been battling loneliness, as well as, living in poor conditions that have resulted in him being overweight, yet showing signs of malnutrition, cracked and overgrown nails of living in an enclosure with poor flooring that has damaged his feet. Up until now, Kaavan had been forced to live in a small enclosure, secluded from other elephants.

Now, steps have been taken to finalized Kaavan's transfer to an elephant sanctuary in Cambodia. A spokesman for Four Paws, Martin Bauer, announced this past Saturday that Kaavan had been granted medical approval to travel for a better life, but his journey to recovery will be a long one. Bauer said Kaavan's wounds are more than just physical, that he also suffers from behavioral issues. 

"He also developed stereotypical behavior, which means he shakes his head back and forth for hours. This is mainly because he is simply bored," said Bauer.

There is no word when Kaavan will travel, the push for his relocation has been going on since 2016 by rights activists. 

We are so happy that Kaavan will have a chance at a new, better life, and hope he travels to his new paradise soon! 

Story via The Guardian

It is claimed that elephants never forget. And we hope that's true especially for these elephants at the Thailand sanctuary, Elephant World, home to older elephants. 

Paul Barton, a classical pianist, has been sharing his talents with a rather large audience these days. And when we say "large," we mean it literally. Barton has been spending most of his time playing his beautiful music for the gentle giants of the elephant sanctuary. 

He first heard about the elephants when his wife discovered the sanctuary online. Barton explains in a video, "We liked the sound of the place being a retirement center for old, injured and handicapped former logging and trekking elephants. So we paid them a visit. I wondered if these old rescue elephants might like to listen to some slow classical music."

Barton reached out to the staff at Elephant World to see if he can bring his piano and serenade the elephants. The staff said yes. 

The first time Barton began to play for the elephants, one blind elephant, was in the midst of eating breakfast and stopped the second he heard the music. Barton had played Beethoven.

Barton continues to explain in a video,  "[He] was often in pain, and I like to think maybe the soothing the music gave him some comfort in the darkness," Barton tells CBS News that this elephant was the first to take to his music.  The musician said this was the first elephant to really take to his music. The gentle giant later died of an infection, sadly. Barton was heartbroken to hear the news. 

Barton continues to play for these old gentle giant, hoping the music soothes their soul. Even if the an elephant is blind, they don't need to see to hear and feel the music Barton is playing just for them. 

Elephants may just be the most incredible animals on Earth. Not only are they intelligent, but they have such a range for emotional capacity. 

They can feel, they express their happiness or their sadness. They are social creatures, like us. If a baby elephant cries, the herd will come to comfort the baby by caressing it with their trunks. 

Elephants are not only deep-feeling animals, they are the only species on Earth with their unique characteristics, not a single other animal shares a similar physique. 

And here's another wild fact for you -- elephants purr just like cats! Sure they communicate though trumpet sounds and such, but they also produce rumbles so low that the human ears don't pick up on it. 

There are just so many reasons why elephants are amazing but for now, we'll let you dive into some awesome facts about them! 

Many paid their tribute by sharing images and sketches to express their anger and grief after a pregnant elephant died in Kerala. 

She allegedly ate a pineapple stuffed with fireworks and local forest officials have launched an investigation.

German illustrator Jenny-Jinya is known for her heartbreaking comic strips bringing her fans to tears.

The sensitive artist who made us all cry with her "Good boy" and "Black cat" comics is back with another powerful strip, this time raising awareness of just how cruel and damaging elephant rides can be.

With over 286K followers on Instagram, she manages to show us all that people do care about animal cruelty, abandonment, pollution, and other hardships.

Prepare some tissues. 

Check out for more: jenny-jinya.com | Facebook | Instagram 

Willy Thuan is a French photographer who started to travel the world early and never stopped until he settled in Thailand in 1994. Then for the past 25 years, his passion for photography has taken him to every corner of Thailand. He has been a Phuket blogger since January 2011. 

One day, during a casual lunch with friends on the Bangtao beach in Phuket, he saw this baby elephant walking towards the water and with the instincts of an experienced photographer, he started taking photos. 

On his blog, he recalls that day: "I saw a small elephant walking alone toward the water and I, of course, thought he would stop there and wait. But no, once approaching the sea, he just started to run faster and rammed into the waves like the kid he was! He came in and out several times; his mahout was casually waiting nearby, apparently used to the elephant's behaviour. The elephant suddenly did something hilarious, totally unexpected: he put his head into the sand and pushed himself forward. I happened to carry a 28-300 mm lens on that day, giving me this perspective, and the photo of a lifetime"

Soooo cute! 

Happy World Elephant Day! This auspicious day to recognize how much we love these gentle giants of the Savanna, and appreciate the dangers they face from mankind's ever-expanding swathe of deforestation and encroachment into historical habitats for many animals, including elephants of all species and locales. First celebrated in 2012, World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12th every year. So in honor of this extremely important day, we've put together a list of some interesting facts about these creatures you might not have known.

If you want to get even more background on this day, and why it exists in the first place, you can check out some of these links:

1. Smithsonian 
2. Federal Wildlife Service

Today is 'World Elephant Day'! In honor of the occasion, we've gathered a few images and a lovely video of the beautiful and intelligent creatures! 

If you love elephants and want to do something special for them today, check out World Elephant Day, to find out how you can help!